Vernon lost 42 lives to drugs in 2024

Feb 6, 2025 | 11:07 AM

Preliminary figures showed there were 42 lives lost to illicit toxic drugs in Vernon in 2024.

The B.C. Coroner’s Service released the figures for the toxic drug deaths that showed there were four deaths in November and one in December, bringing the total to 42 deaths in Vernon.

Though still considered preliminary, the drug death toll was the lowest it’s been in four years, coming in below the totals of 43 in 2021, 44 in 2022, and 56 in 2023. The figure was still up significantly from 2020 when there were 28 deaths recorded by the Coroner’s Service.

The Coroner’s Service data also showed a total of 87 illicit toxic drug deaths in Kelowna and 90 in Kamloops in 2024. Kelowna’s figure did fall from the 104 recorded the year prior, though Kamloops’s total was up from the 84 deaths in 2023.

The local deaths in Vernon were part of 2,253 recorded throughout all of B.C. in 2024.

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Like Vernon’s figure, that total was the lowest on record since 2020, coming in well below the 2,578 deaths in 2023, and down from the 2,383 deaths in 2020 and 2,293 recorded in 2021. The Coroner’s Service noted the deaths in 2024 reflected a 13 per cent decrease on an annual basis.

“We acknowledge the 2,253 people in British Columbia who lost their lives to poisoned drugs in 2024. Behind every number is a child, parent, sibling, friend or neighbour, and their loss is felt deeply by those who knew and loved them. The toxic drug crisis also continues to take a heavy toll on the people working on the front lines who care for and support many of the people we’ve lost. We must continue to work together to prevent further heartbreak and save lives,” Health Minister Josie Osborne said in a release.

“This public health emergency touches every corner of our province. Addiction can be influenced by many factors, including housing challenges, the cost of living, mental and physical pain, and intergenerational trauma. By addressing these issues openly and expanding supports, we can help reduce the stigma around substance use and encourage individuals to seek help rather than struggle in addiction.”

Osborne added the province remained committed to expanding mental health and addiction care, including “early intervention and prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery services, [and] support and complex-care housing.”

The B.C. Coroner’s Service report noted deaths among people aged 19 to 29 declined in the final two months of 2024.

Data from the agency showed 70 per cent of people who died from illicit toxic drugs in 2024 were between the ages of 30 and 59, and that 74 per cent were male.

The Service noted 81 per cent of drug deaths in 2024 occurred inside, with 48 per cent in a private residence and 33 per cent in other indoor areas such as social and supportive housing, hotels and motels, and shelters.

Fentanyl remained a considerable factor in deaths, as toxicology testing found the substance in the systems of 78 per cent of the people who passed from drugs in 2024.

by Liam Verster

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